Republicans Protect Trump Administration and Cancel Hearing with San Juan Mayor
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the below statement after Committee Republicans canceled Wednesday’s hearing “Assessing FEMA’s Preparedness and Response Capabilities” with FEMA Administrator Brock Long and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. No reason or rescheduled date was given.
"I invited the Mayor of San Juan to testify before our Committee’s hearing on FEMA’s preparedness and response capabilities so our entire Committee could receive an accurate picture of what is happening in Puerto Rico from someone who has been on the ground since day one. It is inexcusable that the Republicans have delayed this hearing for the third time with no rational reason in a blatant attempt to silence the Mayor and shield the Trump Administration from another bad news story. It is clear that House Republicans and the Administration fear the Mayor and her telling her story. Now the Committee on Homeland Security – the authorizing committee of DHS – won't be hearing from the Mayor or FEMA Administrator Long even though they will both be on Capitol Hill this week."
"I visited Puerto Rico earlier this month and it is painfully clear that the real story of the plight of our fellow Americans in a humanitarian crisis is not being told. The federal response to hurricanes hitting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is inadequate in almost every respect and the situation is still dire. The American people deserve to know what went wrong during this Administration’s first hurricane season so we can make sure none of our fellow Americans ever have to go through this again.”
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